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Phoenix fire captain dies almost 8 years after on-duty crash

Posted at 1:21 PM, Feb 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-20 10:57:43-05
A former Phoenix fire captain who suffered serious injuries in an on-duty accident almost eight years ago has died.
   
Phoenix Fire Department officials say 56-year-old Crystal Rezzonico died Saturday.
   
In August 2009, Rezzonico was aboard a fire engine dispatched to an emergency call in Phoenix when a crash occurred at a busy intersection.
   
Authorities say Rezzonico was ejected from the truck and suffered a traumatic brain injury along with two broken legs and two broken shoulders. The woman had landed headfirst. 
 
The fire truck was struck by a sedan traveling nearly 70 miles per hour, fire officials said.  
   
She was in a coma for two weeks and underwent multiple surgeries, including five brain surgeries and endured eight weeks of neurological rehabilitation just to be able to walk and talk again. 
   
Rezzonico returned to duty about a year after the accident and retired in December 2014 after a 23-year career.  
 
She passed away on Saturday at age 56 after fighting the injuries for eight years that she sustained in the 2009 collision. 
   
She is survived by her son, Austin Rezzonico, who is a firefighter with the city of Phoenix, as well as her other son Cutter Pleasant. She is also survived by her two sisters, mom, dad and other family members. 
 
Funeral plans are pending.